Collapsible ironing table



Sept. 5, 1961 L. R. BOARDMAN ET AL 2,998,663

COLLAPSIBLE IRONING TABLE Filed Sept. 25, 1957 INVENTORS 1:52-52lQflo/mpmn 1v BY .0 49 J. 5 m M mus/1,

ted States Patent 2,998,663 COLLAPSIBLE IRONING TABLE Lester R. Boardmanand David J. Stambaugh, Columbus, Ind., assignors to Arvin Industries,Inc., Columbus, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 25, 1957,Ser. No. 686,200 7 Claims. (Cl. 38121) This invention relates to ironingtables, and especially to ironingtables of the crossed-leg type whichcan be adjusted in height by varying the angle between the legs. It hasheretofore been proposed to provide one leg of such an ironing tablewith wheels or rollers to facilitate the height-adjustment, whichrequires relative movement of the lower ends of the two legs on thesupporting surface.

It is an object of this invention to provide an adjustable, crossed-legironing board with Wheels which will facilitate the adjustment abovementioned and also to provide means for facilitating the disposition ofthe ironing board, when collapsed, in a vertical position against a wallor other support.

In carrying out the invention in its preferred form, we provide thewheel-carrying leg with a cross-piece having coaxial, floor-engagingwheels mounted at its ends. In addition, we mount in the cross-piece asecond pair of wheels arranged to rotate on parallel axes spaced alongthe cross-piece, and we dispose the common plane of the axes of thesecond set of wheels generally perpendicular to the associated leg. Thewheels of the second set project laterally of the cross-piece beyond theperiphery of the first wheels in such a manner that when the ironingboard is collapsed and positioned vertically the second set of wheelswill engage the floor or other supporting surface and hold the first setof wheels from contact therewith.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following more detailed description andfrom the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the underside of an ironing board with the legscollapsed;

FIG. .2'is, an elevation illustrating the ironing board inoperativeposition;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental elevation illustratingthe ironing board collapsedand in a vertical position;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 44 of FIG. 5 illustrating a suitablemounting for the second set of wheels above referred to; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view, in partial section, showing one end ofthe cross-piece and the two wheels mounted thereon.

The ironing board shown in the drawing comprises a top adapted to besupported by a pair of crossed legs, comprising a rear leg 11 and afront leg 12 pivotally interconnected at 13. The upper end of the frontleg is pivoted to the top 10 on a fixed axis 14, while the upper end ofthe rear leg 11 is adjustable longitudinally of the top. Any convenientform of means 15 may be employed for holding the upper end of the rearleg 11 in any desired position of adjustment along the top.

The front leg 12 is provided at its lower end with a cross-piece 17conveniently having caps 18 of rubber or similar material adapted toserve as feet. The lower end of the rear leg 11 is provided with asimilar crosspiece 20 provided at its ends with coaxial rollers orwheels 21.

When the ironing board is in erect condition, as shown in FIG. 2, it issupported from the floor or other supporting surface on the feet 18 androllers 21. By appropriate operation of the adjusting means 15, theangle between the legs 11 and 12 can be changed to raise and lower thetop 10, as between the full-line and dottedline positions shown in FIG.2. Adjustment of the legs in this manner is facilitated by the presenceof the wheels 21 which can roll on the floor while the feet 18 remainstationary. As so far described, the ironing board is not new.

Our invention contemplates a novel mounting for the wheels 21 and alsothe provision on the cross-piece 20 of a second pair of Wheels whichfacilitate movement of the ironing board on the floor when it is incollapsed position and is being moved to or from a place of storage. Themounting for each wheel 21 comprises a cuplike sheet-metal stamping 23adapted to be pressed over the end of the cross-piece 20, whichdesirably is tubular and of relatively light metal. The wheel 21 is alsocupshaped and has an annular wall 24 which closely surrounds the annularwall of the stamping 23. The closed end of the wheel 21 has an axialopening adapted to receive a rivet 25 by which the wheel is secured tothe stamping 23. Desirably, the rivet 25 has a loose fit within thewheel 21 and/or the, stamping 23 so that, under load, the annular wall24 of the wheel will bear on the annular wall of the stamping 23 toprovide bearing surfaces. To improve the connection of the stamping 23with the cross-piece 20 and to guard against its rotation thereon, theannular wall of the stamping may be provided with an inwardly offsetboss 26 which, when the stamping is pressed over the end of thecross-piece 20, displaces the metal of the cross-piece wall to form agroove 27.

Inwardly from each end of the cross-piece 21, a slot 30 is cut in thewall thereof and the metal on opposite sides of such slot is formed toprovide a pair of opposed parallel ears 3 1 and 32. A rivet or otherpivot element 33 extends through the ears 31 and 32 and rotatablysupports a wheel 35. The pivot pins 33 lie in a common plane which,desirably, is disposed generally perpendicular to the associated rearleg 11, and the wheels 35 are of such a diameter that they projectbeyond the peripheries of the wheels 21. In addition, the wheels 35 areso located along their .axes that they are out of contact with the flooror other supporting surface when the ironing board is in erectedcondition and resting on the wheels 21 and feet 18. 7

When the ironing board is in use, the wheels'35, being out of contactwith the floor, do not interfere with free rolling of the wheels 21 overthe floor. However, if the ironing board is collapsed and brought into avertical position as indicated in FIG. 3, the wheels 35 bear on thefloor and hold the wheels 21 above and out of contact with the floor.The collapsed ironing board can then be readily moved in its own plane,while the wheels 35 roll over the floor. If the board is deposited intilted position against a wall or partition the wheels 35 will stillremain in contact with the floor. In such a tilted position against awall or partition, the lower end of the ironing board tends to slideaway from the partition; but as the wheels 35 are disposed transverselyto the direction of such sliding movement, their friction with the floorholds the lower end of the ironing board in fixed position. The wheels35 thus perform a dual function. In the first place, they facilitatemovement of the collapsed ironing board in its own plane into a positionof storage, and in the second place by holding the wheels 21 ofi. thefloor they prevent the ironing board from sliding downthe wall orpartition against which it leans.

It will be understood that the particular embodiment of my inventionillustrated and above described is set forth merely by way of example,that many modifications are possible, and that the true scope of theinvention is to be measured by the accompanying claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a table, a top, a pair of crossed, pivotally interconnected legs,means associated with each leg for holding its upper end in fixedposition on said top, one of said means being adjustable along the topto vary the angle between the legs, first and second pairs of wheelsmounted on the lower end of said legs, the first pair of wheels having acommon axis parallel and transverse to said top, the second pair ofwheels lying substantially in a common plane generally parallel to theassociated leg and being rotatable about spaced, parallel axessubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the top when said associatedleg is in collapsed position and oblique thereto when said associatedleg is in extended position, said two pair of wheels being so angularlydisposed with respect to each other and the table that when the table isin erected condition said first pair of wheels will be in contact andsaid second pair of wheels out of contact with a horizontal supportingsurface and that when said legs are collapsed against the top and thetop is in vertical position the second pair of wheels will be in contactwith and said first pair of wheels out of contact with a horizontalsupporting surface. s

2. In a table, a top, a collapsible supporting structure for said top,said structure including a leg swingable relatively to said top betweenan operative position in which it projects obliquely downward from thetop and a collapsed position in which it lies adjacent and generallyparallel to said top, a first pair of wheels mounted on the lower end ofsaid leg and having a common axis extending parallel to and transverselyof said top, a second pair of wheels mounted on the lower end of saidleg substantially in a common plane generally parallel to the leg andperpendicular to the first pair of wheels, said second pair of wheelsbeing respectively rotatable on spaced, parallel axes oblique to thecommon axis of said first pair of wheels whereby said first pair ofwheels will engage a supporting surface and hold said second pair ofwheels out of contact therewith when said leg is in an oblique operativeposition and said second pair of wheels will engage said supportingsurface and hold said first pair of wheels out of contact therewith whensaid leg is in vertical position.

3. The invention of claim 2 with the addition that said leg includes atubular cross-piece at its lower end, said cross-piece being providedwith two slots spaced apart longitudinally of the cross-piece, a pair ofspaced, parallel ears defining a pair of opposed edges at each slot, and

4 a pin extending between each pair of ears, said second pair of wheelsbeing respectively mounted on said pins.

4. The invention of claim 3 with the addition that the first pair ofwheels is rotatably mounted on a common axis at the ends of saidcross-piece, and said second pair of wheels have diameters such thatsaid wheels project beyond the periphery of said first pair of wheels.

5. In a table, a top, a supporting means for said top, said meanscomprising a leg, a tubular cross-piece secured to the lower end of saidleg, said cross-piece being provided on the side opposite the leg withtwo slots spaced apart longitudinally of the cross-piece, saidcross-piece having at each slot a pair of spaced, opposed ears locatedrespectively at opposite sides of the slot and integral with thematerial of the cross-piece, a pin extending between the opposed ears ofeach pair, and a wheel mounted on each pin, said wheel projectingoutwardly of the crosspiece beyond said ears and the outer surface ofthe crosspiece for engagement with a supporting surface.

6. In a table, a top, a supporting means for said top, said meanscomprising a leg, a tubular cross-piece secured to the lower end of saidleg, a cap rigidly received over each end of said cross-piece and havingan annular wall, a cup-like wheel receiving each of said caps and havingan annular wall surrounding the annular wall of the cap, and a rivetextending axially through the closed ends of said cap and cup forrotatably securing them to-' gether, said rivet having a loose fitwithin one said cup and cap to permit bearing contact between saidannular walls.

7. In a table, a top, a supporting means for said top;

said means comprising a leg, a tubular cross-piece secured ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,239 GeyerOct. 19, 1937 2,175,646 Replogle Oct. 10, 1939 2,701,425

Rewald Feb. 8, 1955

